Gunner
Gunners was a specialised type of Locust Drone that are expert users of the Troika Heavy Machine Gun. They are only ever encountered manning a Troika, and are found throughout Gears of War and Gears of War 2 accompanied by other Locust in camps and settlements. History Evacuation of Ilima At least three Gunners took part in the assault of Ilima city, when Zeta-Six; in their search for seeders; tried to pass through an alley full of locust, a Gunner took guard on the right corner of the alley, to pass through the streets the gears divided and; depending in what option do you choose; Barrick and Tai will go through the alley while Kim and Valera cover you from the rooftops or viceversa; either way the Gunner died in the ensuing battle, being flanked from the roofs and bieng killed easily. When Zeta-Six tried to reach Dr. Wisen's Orphanage they found a Loader and used it to clear their path, unfortunately Two Troikas manned by Gunners took guard at the other side of the construction yard Zeta was in, fortunately Zeta made usage of a metal piece as a shield that the Loader could carry to protect the rest of the squad and easily passed to the other side with little damage at the Loader and as Zeta-Six reached the last gate they pushed to open it, pushing also a big box and destroying the Troikas and their Gunners instantly. Lightmass Offensive A Troika emplacement was stablished near the corpses of several Gears near an Emergence-Hole to make an ambush to anyone that came near them, Delta-Squad soon arrived and the Gunner opened fire at them, however Delta was able to flank him and took care of him. Another Troika emplacement stablished at a building where Delta divided to cover from both sides, the Gunner was easily flanked from the left side. Another Troika appeared at the next part of the building, this time however the Gunner appeared with a Spotter in the right corner of the building, however Delta dispatched both of them, leaving the Troika to lead with more Locust. A Gunner manned a Troika inside the House of Sovereigns and kept Delta at bay for a little, he was protected by some Wretches but they weren's enough and he was flanked from behind and killed, allowing the Gears to use the Troika to deal with an incoming pack of Wretches. Another Gunner attacked Alpha Squad from the rooftop of the House of Sovereigns, giving the advantage to the Locust, however he was unawere Delta headed for him and caught of guard and killed, his Troika was useful against the Drones on the ground and the Nemacyst in the air. Another Troika emplacement guarded an staging area Delta went through, with an Spotter guarding his flank but both were killed. Another Gunner took guard on a bridge Delta had to pass through, however Delta used the remains of a car to cover themselves and arrived at the Gunners location and flanked him. A Troika Gunner took guard on a point between Checkpoint One and Checkpoint Two but was flanked from the building behind him. A Gunner and another Spotter attacked Delta again on their way to Checkpoint Two, however Delta used a pushable car to fend themselves from the Locust and the Kryll and soon finished them both. Some Gunners ambushed Delta at the Lethia Imulsion Facility but without their distinctive Troika, after a long time without an appeareance a Gunner used a Troika emplacement to keep two of the members of Delta Squad at bay, however the other two managed to flank and kill him and his Spotter. Operation Hollow Storm During operation hollow storm, when the gear squads were deployed down many gunners were stationed at certain outposts guarded by its spotter and many drones Delta used rockworms to cover from some of them and were killed later one tried to attack the beast barge they were in and finally they tried to prevent the COG forces from entering the palace, however they were unsuccesful. Lambent Pandemic When Marcus and his team tried to reach the city of Mercy many troikas and their gunners attacked them but were overriden; at least three gunners were on the Endeavour Naval Shipyard, one ambushed delta while they were searching for fuel for the submarine, the other two were encountered while they searched for a rotor, however the humans used explosives to destroy their outposts along with any nearby locust. The gunners died when the Imulsion Countermeasure Weapon was activated. Gameplay Gunners wear scuba-like helmets that protect them from a variety of shots, able to stand up to three Longshot shots on Insane. They are usually found in Locust bases, protecting a camp, and not on an open battlefield due to difficulty in Troika transport. Thus, they are mostly found in levels in the Hollow or Nexus. Alone, they pose a low to medium threat. However, when supported by other Locust, they can be deadly by which they force you into cover while flanked by Drones. They often come with a Spotter, who will alert the Gunner to a COG presence. If the Spotter is killed, the Gunner will no longer constantly fire its Troika as it will not know where you are. Instead, there will be a one-to-two second wait before they fire at you, which can be used to fire first. Gunners wield a Hammerburst Assault Rifle in Gears 1, and the Hammerburst II in Gears 2, and behave like an ordinary Drone if forced to abandon their Troika. The best way to get them to do this is to flank them and make them aware of your presence, e.g. by firing at them. Gunners are the only enemies which take more headshots than body shots with a Longshot Sniper Rifle in Gears 1. However, this is negated in Casual by Perfect Reload headshot with the Longshot. Due to the slow firing rate of the Longshot, a Boltok may be a better option at mid-close range. A good way to take them down while they are on the Troika is by throwing a Frag Grenade or Ink Grenade at them while manning the Troika. They will often be unable to move quick enough to avoid damage, and could be killed in one hit if accurately thrown. However, making the throw could be difficult if they spot you and fire. Another easier tactic is to use an explosive weapon, such as the Boomshot Grenade Launcher or Torque Bow, and aim at his less protected body by the stalk of the Troika. After killing the Gunner, it would be advised to man the Troika yourself if flanked from behind, or in need of heavy firepower to kill heavier enemies. Behind the scenes *The Gunner is one of the few Drones to not be available as a Multiplayer character, along with the Grappler. *The Gunner is often confused with the Flame Grenadier due to the fact that both of them have light in front of their helmets and; if not checked; the helmets are similar, however the Gunners wear scuba-like helmets while the flame grenadiers wear scorcher-like helmets. Category:Locust Horde